Population Demographic Characteristics - Poverty Among Children Under Age 5
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Percentage of Children Under Age 5 Living in Poverty by County, New Mexico, 2013-2017
Why Is This Important?
Childhood poverty has especially harmful effects on healthy development and well-being, including developmental delays and infant mortality. Children born into poverty are less likely to have regular health care, proper nutrition, and opportunities for mental stimulation and enrichment. These factors are especially important in the very earliest years of life, because childrens' brain growth and skill development starts at early infancy. Studies document that children who live in low-income and under-educated families start to score lower on standardized developmental tests by as early as eighteen months of age. Such early setbacks are difficult to overcome. Due to their size, physiology, and behavior, young children are also disproportionately vulnerable to many health hazards. For example, the risk factors for childhood lead poisoning include living in a family with a poverty-level income. Studies have documented low blood-lead testing rates among children living in households with this risk factor. This measure identifies counties with higher percentages of children who therefore may be at increased risk for lead poisoning. When compared with lead-testing rates by county, populations with inadequate lead testing of young at-risk children may be identified in order to improve testing in these regions.
Definition
The estimated number and percentage of children under age 5 living in households with income below the federal poverty level. This measure of child poverty includes all children aged 0 to 4 who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption (except a child who is the spouse of the householder). The householder is the person (or one of the people) who owns or rents (maintains) the housing unit. Poverty status is determined by comparing household income to poverty thresholds (income cutoffs). Thresholds vary by family size and number of children under 18 in the household. For instance, the poverty level for a family of four in 2019 is $25,750.
Data Sources
- New Mexico Population Estimates: University of New Mexico, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) Program.
(http://gps.unm.edu/) - U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
(https://data.census.gov) - U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
(http://data.census.gov) - U.S. Census Bureau, Data Integration Division, Small Area Estimates Branch, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE)
(https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe.html)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Estimated number of children age 4 and under living in households whose income is below 100% of the federal poverty level as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Poverty status is determined by comparing household income to poverty thresholds (income cutoffs). Thresholds vary by family size and number of children under 18 in the household, and are updated in January of each year. For instance, the poverty level for a family of four in 2015 was $24,250. The U.S. Poverty Guidelines may be found at the [http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/ Health and Human Services website]. |
| Denominator: | The estimated number of children age 4 and under in the population. |
How Are We Doing?
New Mexico is one of the most impoverished states in the nation, ranking near the bottom of all states in the percent of its young children living in poverty (49th in both the 2013 and 2014 Annie E. Casey Foundation's KIDS COUNT Data Books).
Other Objectives
CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking, Nationally Consistent Data and Measures (EPHT NCDM) New Mexico Early Learning Indicator
More Resources
[http://www.aecf.org/resources/the-2014-kids-count-data-book/ The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2014 KIDS COUNT Data Book] [http://www.nmvoices.org/ New Mexico Voices for Children] [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6302a6.htm Lead Screening and Prevalence of Blood Lead Levels in Children Aged 1-2 Years (CDC report)]